This week, we are looking at the rune Laguz. It is considered by many to be a feminine oriented rune because of its association with water. It is my belief that this is a modern projection onto an ancient symbol. If we pause a moment to consider that the deities associated with water in the Norse and Germanic pantheons are of masculine and feminine genders, we must conclude that this is a gender neutral rune. That is if we wish to ignore the literally fluid nature of this rune, taking that into consideration the rune is gender fluid and can represent anyone along the gender spectrum when it pops up in a reading as a descriptor of a person involve in the querent's situation.
There are three different rune poems for this rune. I suspect that there were other rune poems that pertained to it in the other Nordic and Germanic tribal cultures that were lost to history. (It is my belief that each of the tribes had their own twist on the meaning of the runes that subtly reflected their differing relationships to the lands about them.) One thing that remains consistent through the rune poems is that Laguz is discussing water and our relationship to it. Interestingly, there are archeological finds that suggest that this rune is feminine oriented and pertains to fertility but they are very few and far between (and heavily debated).
If one were to take the matter and consider this rune in the context of what of the principle deities that we know of were associated with water and fertility, we find ourselves looking at the Vanir that reside among the Aesir as hostages after the Vanir-Aesir war. Njord is a god of harbors, good fishing, and prosperity (as well as kingship). Freyja is the goddess of love, sex, war, and seidh. Her connection to water is via the kenning Mardoll which roughly translates to the light on the waters. This leads me to conclude that there are additional water associations for Freyja that have been lost. And finally, there is Freyr whose association is his wonderous ship. It seems like something someone just tacked on to his mythos to make him more interesting but it is my suspicion that the association of Freyr with ships runs deeper and that his water associations are just as strong as his earth associations. Again, I believe there is lost mythos that would prove this but the fragments that we can find just leave a tantalizing and baffling hint.
In a divinatory context, the rune Laguz can be in a direct or indirect/reversed orientation. The direct orientation is typically taken to mean that one is in connection with their source of inspiration and experiencing a smooth flow of ideas. It is conventionally associated with women, usually with some manner of sexual overtones. In the reversed orientation, this rune speaks of a disconnect from one's source of inspiration and stagnation. It can also speak of fertility problems, particularly for women. (I contend that the next rune in a reversed orientation is more of an indicator of such difficulties but I will discuss that next week.)
In my personal divination work, Laguz has spoken to me of inspiration and deep spirituality. In the direct orientation, there is the free flow of ideas and creativity. It also signifies a connection with the depths of one's spirituality. In the indirect orientation, Laguz speaks of the stagnation of ideas, a lack of creativity, and a shallow venture into the realm of spirit. At times, it has indicated coming prosperity in the direct orientation that is the fruit of the combination of hard work and luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment